In 2017 alone, the Malaysian government is targeting 31.8 million tourist arrivals.
The tourism industry is widely credited for helping to stimulate our economy, and the hotel industry has grown to follow suit and meet the rising demand.
Berjaya Hotels & Resorts (BHR) are making another entry into the market, this time with their new hotel concept which they named “thelivingroom”.
thelivingroom hotels will all have only one room type which can accommodate up to a maximum of 4 people at a time. So it doesn’t matter if the user is travelling solo or in a group of 4—the type of room they get will be the same.
Designed specifically to meet the needs of corporate travellers with families, thelivingroom hotel emphasises on space efficiency.
From the moment you enter, the ground floor does double duty as a check-in counter and F&B outlet, with a reception and café.
The rooms themselves come with 4 signature space-efficient features, which are:
1) A wall bed
The wall bed doubles as a simple shelving unit which can also serve as a work table. When not in use, it can be folded up to maximise floor space, “transforming the bedroom into a living room”.
2) A sofa bunk-bed
Once the cushions are lifted, the bottom of the sofa moves to the top and transforms into a bunk bed that can fit two adults.
3) An adjustable lighting feature
The ceiling lights can be repositioned to wherever they’re needed.
4) A foldable chair
Meant to be the statement piece of the room, it can be easily folded and stored away when not in used.
Speaking of their target audience, Mr Hanley Chew, CEO of BHR said, “Their needs today are very much different. They are not looking for luxurious offerings, but practicality, convenience and flexibility in their hotel stays.”
“They only require the basics such as strong Wi-Fi connection, sufficient plug points and all the essential amenities. By offering one unique room type, we believe thelivingroom hotel will appeal to this uprising travellers who embrace minimalist living and work-life balance.”
There are currently two thelivingroom hotels mapped out for completion in 2018 in Malaysia.
BHR also plans to expand the chain of thelivingroom hotels globally, to Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan.
“Excluding land cost, the construction cost for a 200 hotel room will be approximately RM50 million.”
– Hanley Chew.
“We are targeting an operating profit margin of 55% compared with 28% to 35% of a conventional hotel. With an occupancy rate of 60% and the average room rate of RM280 per room, we are looking at a bottom line of RM9 million.”
“That means we are expecting a payback period of 5 to 6 years for our investors. The typical payback period takes about 12 to 15 years,” said Hanley.
Feature Image Credit: Berjaya Hotels & Resorts
